CBC News

Armed Mohawk protesters barricaded a highway in eastern Ontario Thursday night, vowing to set up even more blockades as a national aboriginal day of action begins at midnight. About 40 protesters parked a schoolbus on Highway 2, near Deseronto, just before 9 p.m. ET, forcing traffic to stop and turn around at the location, which is about 50 kilometres west of Kingston.

Protest leader Shawn Brant said the blockade is just a “soft target,” done in anticipation of major blockades that will be set up somewhere along the high-traffic Highway 401, between Montreal and Toronto.

Protesters also intend to hit the CN Rail line between the two cities, Brant said, not giving exact locations for the blockades, but saying protesters are armed and ready to keep their blockades up until midnight Friday.

“We’ve made no secret that we have guns within this camp,” he told the Canadian Press.

The Assembly of First Nations designated Friday as a National Day of Action to draw attention to aboriginal issues.

AFN Chief Phil Fontaine had urged First Nations communities and non-aboriginal people not to misinterpret the National Day of Action as an occasion for violent confrontation.

In anticipation of blockades, Via Rail cancelled all Friday train services between Toronto and Montreal and between Toronto and Ottawa.

With files from the Canadian Press